In Jammu & Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti, Omar Abdullah put under house arrest as report says government may dilute Article 35A; more troops pumped into state 

Mehbooba Mufti (L) and Omar Abdullah.

New Delhi: Political leaders of Kashmir, including former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, have been put under house arrest from Sunday midnight and massive troops have been deployed in the valley. This comes amid speculations that the central government is planning to scrap Article 35A and also removing Article 370 of the Constitution, which grants special status to the state of Jammu & Kashmir. 

Amaranth yatra pilgrims and tourists were asked to leave Srinagar since last couple of days and local markets were also remained closed on Sunday escalating uncertainty in the valley.

Omar Abdullah, while indicating the possibility of his house arrest, has tweeted that the process of keeping him under house arrest has already started. He tweeted: “I believe I’m being placed under house arrest from midnight and the process has already started for other mainstream leaders. No way of knowing if this is true but if it is, then I’ll see all of you on the other side of whatever is in store. Allah save us.”

J&K governor Satya Pal Malik, when asked about the fast-moving developments in the valley said that he has no information or inclination about scrapping of Article 35A and Article 370 and nobody in the Centre has discussed anything with him. “Parliament is in session. Whatever will happen, it will not happen secretly, it will come to Parliament, it will be discussed,” he said.

Article 35A of the constitution empowers the Jammu & Kashmir assembly to frame rules for permanent residents and barring non-permanent residents from purchasing land, acquiring government jobs and scholarships and settling permanently in the state.

According to the reports, Section 144 has been imposed in the Srinagar district prohibiting rallies, public meetings and gatherings until further orders. Restrictions have also been imposed on the movements of people though official curfew was not declared. Educational institutions including schools were advised to remain shut in Jammu and Kashmir region.

State officials exploring options to modify Article 35A

A senior state government source, while talking to Indian Express, has said that few options to modify Article 35A and Article 370 are being explored instead of abrogating them altogether. The options that are being studied include creating categories of land and allowing outsiders to purchase land in certain cases, and placing restrictions on the quantum of land based on the usage.

The paper citied the source as saying: “Attempts will be made to talk to political parties. We need to discuss how this would benefit the people of the state.”

The paper also reported that an official said that Article 35A has proved to be a hurdle in attracting private investment in the state that would have created more more jobs for locals in the valley. This resulted in the state government catering the entire burden of employment, which led to perverse outcomes with many state government rules being bent and subverted just to give permanent employment to residents in all institutions and establishments funded by the state.

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